JTBC sells song-quiz format - but is it the real one?

"Hidden Singer" host Jun hyun-moo / Courtesy of Facebook

JTBC has sold the format for its popular quiz show “Hidden Singer” to U.S. television network giant NBC Universal, an online news service reports.

The Korean network, which airs the show every Saturday, signed the deal with Universal Media Studios International, an affiliate of NBC Universal which has produced and distributed such hit shows as “Top Chef,” “Law & Order” and “The Real Housewives.”

NBC has been trying to buy the rights for the past year, according to the website OSEN.

Hidden Singer invites one singer and four impersonators to sing off-stage, and challenges audiences to choose who the actual singer is.

The U.S. network is expected to invite international stars and their impersonators.

First aired in December 2012, “Hidden Singer” has been a hit, surprising viewers with impersonators who are difficult to distinguish from the real singers.